Quick progress being made on reconstruction of historic Elyria mansion

Six decades after its demolition, the Reefy Mansion is once again rising to tower over the rest of the historic homes in downtown Elyria. Crews are hard at work erecting a smaller reconstruction of the historic mansion that once stood on Third Street and served as Elyria's public library for nearly 30 years, and the framing of the building has quickly risen to two of its eventual three stories. The reconstruction is being run by Steven McQuillin, an expert in historical renovations and reconstructions who found a love for preservation in a failed attempt as a youth to halt the 1967 demolition of the mansion. McQuillin has consulted on hundreds of renovations and reconstructions over his career, and he is funding the Reefy Mansion project himself. Once complete, the building will house four apartments or condos. The mansion was originally built by Dr. Philip D. Reefy, a prominent local physician who served as Elyria mayor from 1900-1904, and completed in 1907. It served as the Elyria Public Library from 1929 to 1966 but was demolished in 1967 to make room for an expansion of the Elyria First United Methodist Church. McQuillin grew up visiting the library and admiring the structure, and he has poured countless hours of research into designing a smaller reconstruction of the mansion on the formerly vacant lot at the northwest corner of West Avenue and Third Street. Even so far along in the construction, McQuillin said he is still making updates to his designs to capture the essence of the original as closely as possible. "One thing that happened today is my friend Jeff Sigsworth, who is with the Lorain County Historical Society, sent me a photo of the building not that long before it was torn down, a color photo," McQuillin said Tuesday. It was the first color photo of the mansion that McQuillin had been able to find, and he said that he immediately got to work with his contractors using it to adapt the building's design. "We are adapting the design of the second floor to better reflect that (photo)," he said. "We like it to look how the historic building looked." McQuillin said the ongoing framing work and window installations should be completed within two weeks and the crew would start work on the roof as early as this week. The main challenge facing the construction will be completing the roof and masonry work before the weather gets too cold, McQuillin said. The stone masonry needed to replicate the Reefy Mansion's iconic tower will get increasingly difficult as temperatures drop, and McQuillin said if the weather does not cooperate the building will have to be completed in the spring. When it is done, Elyria will not only have its newest downtown housing, but also a unique one. Contact Owen MacMillan at 440-329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.